Restoration
by liamspayne
Summary: Sasuke Uchiha has returned to Konoha, but there was a catch. He has amnesia, possibly from the fight he had with Itachi. The only one he really remembers is Sakura, but is she willing to accept him as if nothing ever happened?
1. Chapter 1

Dear Masashi Kishimoto,

Thank you.

~ ok I havent been keeping up with the series for the longest time ever, so consider this all AU because idk what the hell is going on anymore ok ~

Hi, I'm in dire need of a motivating Beta. PM me? c:

* * *

"When do you think he's coming back?" A once high pitch voice has now deepened with maturity. It hasn't changed much, for that slight rasp was still there which made it so recognizable. Naruto, once considered the vile scum of Konoha was now largely regarded as a top-notch ninja in the history scrolls. He was unsure as to where the question came out of. Only mere seconds ago were they enjoying the silence, an activity he only rarely partakes in for he was famous for his boisterous persona.

Sakura let out a bitter laugh of amusement. So many times she has been the one to ask that question, sitting around and hoping for what seemed like the impossible. Now she has a new question to answer with; "Who says he's even going to?"

"Sakura, you can't lose faith." Naruto pleaded, distress laced in his voice. It absolutely pained her to hear it. Her heart gave a squeeze as he stared up at her, his large ocean blue eyes sparkling in the sun with innocence despite the bloodshed he experienced many times before. This was a trait Sakura was genuinely surprised that he could retain, but one she loved so dearly. It took all the will power she had not to lift her hand and caress his cheek, willing away all his displeasure and hurt. How in the world would she try to do that when she could barely keep herself happy?

It's been three years since Sasuke Uchiha had abandoned his team, his friends, his village. Every day since then, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno, former members of the once close-knit Team Seven visited the top of a hill. The bluff was so special to them, mostly Sakura, because it overlooked the gates of Konoha. The very gates he chose to leave, and quite possibly the ones he will one day enter. In the path of the gate was a horrid stone bench to which Sakura pointedly ignores every time they're up on their little spot. Her vivid green eyes would look over it's eroded surface, and she would try her hardest to shove aside the heartbreaking memories that came along with it.

Sakura's legs were dangling over the edge of the cliff, swinging to and fro to a silent beat. Her bottom was cushioned by the patch of grass, and was shielded by the sun by the tall tree behind her. The valley they sat at were keeping to its namesake, village of the leaves. It dipped down, straight into the forest that encircles and protects Konohagakure. Naruto's legs were crossed in front of him, him being more fearful of heights than his pink haired friend.

The two visited the spot not for the view, but in hopes that someday if he ever decides to return to his home, they'll be the first to see.

"I'm not losing faith." Sakura sighed, and angled her head to the sky, tearing her eyes off of the path that she'd been staring at for the past three, nearly four years. "Just becoming a bit more realistic. The annoying little Twelve year old in me can't help but wish."

Wish, wish, wish, that's all they ever did.

Naruto let a small smile grace his face, tanned from spending so much time in the sun training to get his team-mate back. His friend. Naruto worked himself to the bone so that he could get things to be like they used to. When the only thing they had to worry about is what kind of medieval torture Kakashi would bring upon them the next day for training. Whether it be some boring assignment that involved chores or if it be a life or death situation. When the two would playfully fight, rather then Sasuke constantly trying to rip apart his ex teammates throat apart. Back when life had two sides, good and bad. Not this complicated mess of things.

"I miss the old annoying you. She used to smile more."

That earned him a light punch on his shoulder.

"Are you implying I was annoying?" The corners of her lips twitched upwards, and the movement sat Naruto up.

"Smile." He leaned to her. "Please, smile." He was begging, but the tone of his voice didn't even reveal a fraction of how strongly he truly felt. His day would begin with the sight of it, and end with the conjured image from his fresh memories. Now he had to struggle to remember what it was like.

Sakura did it, though. She owed him that much.

"Good enough."

"That wasn't good enough for you?"

"No." Naruto deadpanned. Sakura twitched in annoyance. "It doesn't quite reach your eyes. They're still sad."

Sakura let her face relax into a straight line.

"I'm sorry." Sakura sighed, her voice low and her best friend could barely hear her with the wind. Naruto looked away from the gates, the gates he wished so badly to open and reveal the raven haired boy. "I'm sorry for not being good enough." She continued, her voice barely a decible above a whisper.

Naruto stood.

"No Sakura –" Begging, pleading, his voice was distorted with many emotions mixing into one. "You'll always be good enough. You're too good." Naruto's worry flared off, and he sat down as a comforting, but rather depressing thought dawned on him. One that he should have realized the second that Sakura was assigned with him on their first day of being a Genin.

"You're too good for this broken, jumbled up team."

Sakura's ears perked at his unusually melancholic words.

"No." she smirked. "I have every right to be in this team."

Naruto raised his eyebrow. In front of him was a girl with no flaws. Her intelligence, beauty and grace was something he, along with the rest of the village, admired and appreciated greately. How in the world would she belong in the same category as him and Sasuke?

"Why's that?"

"I'm just as broken and jumbled as all three of you!" She chirped. A smile that mirrored Sai's spread on her face. Not exactly true, but at least it let Naruto know her cheek muscles were capable of more than just a frown that she seems to wear a lot. It wasn't nearly as beautiful as the real deal, though.

Naruto raised his eyebrows at her strange musings.

"Maybe even more! I mean, come now! A boy with a beast in him, a sole survivor of his clan, A ninja who gauged his own team mate's eyes . . ." She laughed. It was, in his opinion, beautifully pained. The blonde's nose stung with the hint that he may cry soon, but he tried his hardest to swallow it down and put on a brave face. His emotions were the contrary, though. He wanted so badly to cry with her, to just hold her and cry like they did the first month that Sasuke left.

"Then there's the girl with the horrible temper, who's parent's disowned their only daughter just for being in the same team as the Jinchuriki and the traitor Uchiha!" She let her pent up anger flow freely now. In doing so her tense muscles began to loosen up, and it was as if this immense weight was lifting off her shoulders.

"'Being on their team is putting a bad image on our family name' they said! The nerve! And who am I? The girl who was the weakest of them all! Even though my parents weren't shinobi, I took on the job. No matter how many times they yelled at me. No matter how many times they told me I was going to die, I still did it. Not for Sasuke, thought I have to admit back then he was part of it…but for myself. I wanted to see what it was like outside of these walls keeping little, precious Konoha safe."

Naruto turned back to face the path once again. He listened, committing her heartfelt words into his brain, memorizing this small rant. He knew no one gave her enough credit. It's true, she's strong. Where he and Sasuke rose from the rubble of a tragic past, she was from nothing. From nothing she made something, and that is truly impossible.

"So now I know what's behind these walls." She sighed for the second time, her anger drifting off into something more mellow. "And I wish I never looked behind them."

With that, she stood.

"Ichiraku's?"

Naruto's sullen face brightened into a grin. "Yes please."

The intense, dismal emotions that swirled the vicinity quickly dispersed and was replaced with a unlax, eased feeling. The norm for them, and how it should always be. Naruto stood and dusted off his bright orange pants, a color that strangely suited him well. He scampered off ahead of his female friend, excitement fueling his newfound energy. "Oh, man I wonder which one I should get today!" and with that he began to start on his usual tangents, discussing his favorite bowl and whatnot. Sakura turned to follow him, trying her best to catch up to his fast paced conversation.

That is, until Sakura saw a staggering shadow make its way down _his _path.

"N – Naruto." She breathed. Her voice was soft and surprised. The said Jinchuriki container looked up at her. Following her perplexed stare, he turned his head.

"S – Sakura." He answered. He reluctantly turned his gaze away from the figure. It confused him far too much, and he wanted to look at her familiar face, if only for a moment. "Is it –?"

His pink haired teammate clenched her fists. "Let's go find out."

Pumping chalkra to her feet, Sakura jumped from her position, flinging herself down the cliff. Sakura soared, and for a fleeting moment it were as if she were flying. Her landing was imminent, and almost instantly she mounted onto a branch of a tree, ignoring the scratches she earned from her reckless act.

Naruto scrambled to catch up, the initial shock still wearing him down. He repeated her actions and managed to land right beside her. Simultaneously they jumped. They slammed the soles of their ninja sandals on the flimsy branches. It heaved under their weight, then retaliated when they moved on to the next one. Soon the forest began to thin out, and they were down to the last few that littered the vicinity. The two shinobi ran as fast as their legs could take them. The large amounts of chalkra they were using up burned their feet, but the pain was the last thing on their minds.

It didn't necessarily matter if Sasuke had come with a troupe of Sound ninjas, or if he was here to kill them both, or if the Hokage would have his head, though the last one matters in the future. The only thing that was registering on their minds was that he's here.

He's back.

That god damned bastard was back.

Soaring through the rooftops, they made it to the front gates in record time, with speed Rock Lee would envy. The one half if Team Seven crossed the bridge joining the path to the gates and the village, but that's when Sakura stopped.

"What's wrong!?" Naruto asked, irritation edging on his voice. He wanted so badly to make his way to the path. To see with his true blue eyes if it really was him, if it really was Sasuke Uchiha. The only thing that held him back was his best friend, who could only stare at the gate as if it were on fire. He didn't want to meet Sasuke without her, and so he stood planted by her side.

"It's just . . ." Her chest hurt so much. The beating of her rapid heart made it worse, but she focused on it._Ba-dum ba-dum Ba-dum_. It was the only thing that felt real at the moment. The world was just a dream, and the figure up the path was a figment of Sakura's inner yearnings, and was a simply tease that her heart gave her. Soon, she will awake from her slumber and laugh at the idiocy of it all.

"Sakura." Naruto grabbed her hands, the action snapping her from her internal battle. "Sakura, let's go get that piece of shit back."

A ghost of a smile played on Sakura's face. Naruto could convince her to kill an entire village if he wanted her to, she swore. Sakura nodded, her pastel pink hair swaying along with her, for it had grown long and managed to tickle Narutos chin.

The duo ran hand in hand to the large green gates ahead. Sakura kicked them open, forcing them to reveal shadowed man. The guards that protected the village jumped at the sudden loud noise, waking from their usual afternoon nap. They blinked at the familiar faces, confused on the antics they tried pulling today. They grunted then faced the path, jumping at the mysterious figure before them.

Standing there was, as expected, Sasuke Uchiha in all his spiked ebony haired glory. At least, half of it were spiked while the rest were matted down with mud and blood. In fact, his whole body was covered by it. Small bits of gravel were engraved into his skin, falling off as it rubbed against his large white robe. He donned an outfit much too similar to Orochimaru's, the same as he wore the first time Sakura had seen him since his departure. He was an absolute mess.

"Sasuke." Naruto whispered.

He made no move of recognition. The man simply stood his ground and completely still, staring down at the two of them. He had a crazed look in his eyes, which were shining from the sun's glare, but he never blinked.

Sakura dared a step forward. Sasuke's eyes flashed to her.

"Sasuke . . ." She spoke slowly, cautiously, as she edged her way to him.

An unreadable emotion flickered through his eyes. Hope bubbled in Sakura's chest that maybe, possibly he would –

"Argh!" He yelped as he gripped his head in pain. He collapsed to the floor, groaning and moaning. His muscles twitched as he rolled on the dirt road. His ex team mates immediately surrounded him. Sakura set a hand on his head, seeping chakra through his scalp to pinpoint the area that's causing him so much agony.

"Head trauma." Sakura mumbled to herself. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.

"Is he going to be okay?" He asked, frantic. Sakura ignored him, all her focus going to how she was going to heal him, how she could do so, and what could have possibly caused his injuries. Her focus switched from concerned friend to medic in an instant, and she let her internal instincts take over. Naruto watched her transform as he's done numerous times before, and immediately he shut up and let her take control.

"Naruto, we need to take him to the hospital where I can properly treat him." She snapped, pulling the Uchiha up with her as she tucked her shoulder beneath his arm and stood. He hung limply on her side, still groaning in discomfort. His head lolled, snuggling into the crook of her neck.

"He's losing consciousness – fast. Let's go!"

* * *

"So what happened? How is he?" Naruto demanded as soon as Sakura opened the door of the operating room. She quickly shut the door behind her making sure that Naruto doesn't see the mess inside, knowing that it'll only worry him more. Inside the room were bustling nurses, working fast on sterilizing the work space and getting all the blood mopped up. It was a messy job, but it had to be done.

"He's fine . . . now." She mumbled. The long, strenuous healing session made her far too weary, along with the events of today. Too many injuries. How did he even manage to stay standing for so long? All she could remember while being in that room was flitting from every side of his, knitting back together his torn skin or relocating misplaced joints. When Sakura is placed with a task, she blocks out who she is operating on. Her focus zeros in on the injury and her mind goes to work, along with her chalkra.

She pushed Naruto back down on his seat as she sat in the one next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. She released a sigh, letting her tense muscles relax.

"He had such a long deep gnash on the left side of his skull, slicing into the Right Encephalon Entropic. Not only did it slice into his brain, it fractured his skull, lodging pieces of it deep inside. Took me hours to get them out without damaging anything even further." She let her medic side do the talking now as her brain recited the same information that was on his patient chart.

Naruto gulped. "Y-you went inside his brain?"

"How else was I supposed to heal him?" Sakura frowned and leaned more closely into Naruto.

"I -" She tried to form the words. How was she supposed to tell him without worrying him? Hell, she was pretty worried herself, but . . .

"I think he has brain damage that affected his memory."

"What?" Naruto pulled himself from under Sakura's head, and turned her shoulders to him so that they were properly facing each other. Sakura couldn't detect the emotion that was going through his mind. His eyes were wide, but his eyebrows were furrowed, as if agitated with what she told him.

"What do you mean the Bastard's memory's gone?"

"He has amnesia, Naruto. You can't take a blow to the head and be perfectly fine. It's deeply damaged. I wasn't even sure if I could have healed him properly." She began to babble, her tone verging on hysterical as she tried to sort out her thoughts.

"But you did! You did, right?"

Sakura didn't have the heart to truthfully answer.

_I don't know._

It was the third week since Sasuke has been back.

Tsunade wasn't all too happy to hear that instead of reporting it right away, Sakura immediately tended him to the hospital. Hell, what Godaime wouldn't be?

_'He could of died! Do you know how much blood was coming out of his wounds? Not to mention there were multiple lacerations all over his body, mind you. "Her apprentice tried to argue in defense of a boy who had broken her heart too many times. How in the world she could still hold compassion for that cold hearted baka was something, the Hokage may never understand._

"_No excuses. You don't just sneak a S-Class rouge into the village without telling the goddamn Hokage first!"_

"_We didn't sneak him in. Passerby's in the village saw us carry him from the gate back here. I hardly call that sneaking." Sakura folded her arms across her chest, her body language showing frustration with the close minded thoughts of her Shishou._

_Tsunade's anger flared. Only sparsely did Sakura dare show negative emotions toward her, much less talk back of all things! Though she's sure when it comes to her insane friends, Sakura is as feisty as a stray cat. A trait they both shared begrudgingly. Maybe that was why she was so angry with the whole situation. Sakura was like the daughter she never had, and protecting her came as second nature to Tsunade. She knew that this nuke nin was capable of taking her slowly mending heart and breaking it once again._

"_Sakura –" Tsunade warned, her eyebrows tensing, her previously annoyed facial expression transitioning to one serious._

"_Shishou." her apprentice answered. "You and I both know that he wouldn't have made it if it weren't for Naruto and I rushing him to the hospital. Like it or not, he's most likely killed Itachi by now."__The possibility had only now dawned on the Hokage. Her eyes widened as she worried that since Sasuke has gotten so strong that he murdered his own kin, what would he do to the village?_

"_That makes him the last of the Sharingan wielders." Sakura explained, hoping this logical explanation with disperse the cloud of personal emotions Sakura had so blatantly displayed._"_With such weaponry like that, Konoha will rise even higher in the –"_

"_I get it, I get it. Uchiha Sasuke is an important asset to the village, but do you seriously expect me to just leave it as that? To pretend like the things he did never happened?" She leaned forward, challenging the pink-haired girl to attempt to crawl her way out of that logic._

"_Of course not." Sakura looked down to the floor, a morbid smile gracing her lips. "Hell, I'll even join in on that punishing. But shishou, you and I both know that . . ." She found herself unable to finish the sentence. Yes, Tsunade, Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi all know that he had his reasons._

"_But he didn't have to do it like__**that**__." The Hokage voiced the exact thought that drifted into the pinkette's head. "He could have stayed. He could have gotten stronger like you did. Instead of taking that kind of path, he could have continued on with his life, along side with Team Seven."_

"_He could have, but he didn't." Sakura bit her bottom lip, regret filled her as soon as she said the statement. It would only encourage the blonde woman to magnify his sentence._

"_No, he didn't." The blonde gave an unidentifiable look to her student, then slid her eyes to the window beside her._

"_We'll finish this discussion when he wakes up."_

The conversation ran through Sakura's mind.

She inwardly scolded herself for being so emotional during the talk. She wished she hadn't let her anger, confusion, and sadness take over her words and actions. Maybe if she had focused on the benefits more, then she wouldn't have left the compromise so unstable.

'_Stupid, stupid, stupid_.' She chanted to herself. '_I'm really, really stupid_.'

She walked up to the two ANBU who were stationed outside of Sasuke's hospital room. One she did not recognize, but the other she identified as Neji Hyuga, for his mask was one she had worked with before. She nodded at him, and he returned the gesture.

"Sakura." He said.

"Yes?"

"Hokage-sama said that after Uchiha's daily check up, you have a mission right after. Be sure to go to her tower after this. It's important."

"Hai. Thank you." She gave him a small smile and nodded in acknowledgement.

With that, she turned the doorknob and pushed the wooden door open.

The room was dark. The curtains were drawn, concealing the bright light of the sun, though little rays managed to escape through little open spaces. Sakura walked towards them and opened them slightly, enough so that she could see clearly, but not enough to hurt her eyes from the sudden change in luminosity. She walked to the foot of his bed where his clipboard lay. She took it, along with a pen that was in her pocket. She turned to his heart monitor, beeping a mellow rhythmic melody.

_At least he's alive._

Then a question she had so blatantly ignored creeped into her thoughts._What will happen when he wakes up?_Will he be the same Sasuke who teased Naruto during their missions, or will he be the Sasuke who didn't even bat an eye as he sheathed his sword, poised for attack?

Sakura clenched her fists.

Why the hell did he even have to leave? He could have gotten stronger is he just stayed in the goddamn village! Were we not worthy for him? Does he really see us as weak and unable? She most definitely is far from it, compared to how she was back then. Sakura gained so much strength, literally and figuratively. She was an ANBU now, one of the top ranking ninja in the city. Her name was often spoken among different civilians, as she were famous for her healing skills that were up to par with the Hokage, even. She had improved greatly, for Sakura Haruno was no longer the scared little girl she were back then.

Back then . . .

_When we were happy._

A tear escaped the corner of her eye. Surprised, she wiped it away. She hadn't cried in years, but she let herself go just this once, because the feelings were simply overflowing at this point. She were surprised she didn't break any sooner.

'He's back!' She wanted so badly to scream the words at the top of her lungs. She wanted the world to know that Sasuke Uchiha is back in Konoha, and she was happy. Really, really happy. The tears of sadness were replaced with one of joy. She smiled to herself. Look at her, crying and smiling at the foot of Uchiha's bed. How . . . nostalgic. Sakura closed her eyes, feeling the tears well up and fall.

A gentle tug of her white lab coat brought her back to reality when she realized that no one should even be awake to tug on her. Her jade eyes snapped to the person on the bed. They widened at the sight of Sasuke Uchiha, fingering the material of her coat. He looked at it with interest, but his jet black eyes trailed from her hands up her arm, and finally resting on her face.

"Sakura." Her name rolled off his tongue effortlessly. "Don't cry."

He smiled.

It was the most beautiful thing she's seen in years.


	2. Chapter 2

Recently I've looked through a few Beta profiles in hopes of finding one. I've asked someone, and I really hope that they say yes because frankly, my stories are complete messes.

Thank you to the four who reviewed. This one's for you!

"So…he's really awake?" He dare asked once again, to which Tsunade glared at him in response.

"That is the third time you asked us that. You know the answer," The Hokage managed to growl out through clenched teeth. Naruto gulped audibly as his eyes trailed to the large oak door that separated Sasuke from the rest of the world. He was awake and only a few feet away from confrontation, but Tsunade forbid him, or anyone for that matter, to enter the room. This time to avoid conflict, Sakura immediately went straight to her Shishou. As the busty blond was yelling out orders to the nurses and particularly Shizune, the rebellious rosette took it upon herself to slip out of the room and run straight into Naruto's messy apartment, screaming incoherent words and tugging on his sleeve as he were previously indulging himself into some instant ramen. She hauled him straight to the hospital, only to see the entire floor heavily guarded by a multitude of different ANBU. At first they blocked their path, staring at the two in bewilderment as they tried to push pass the wall of security. They could not register the fact that messing with the other ANBU may mean life or death in itself, but thankfully Tsunade, with old man Kakashi by her side, told the troupe to let the two in. Now they sat in a semi circle in front of his room, sitting in a tense silence as they absorbed the situation.

"So…he's really awake?"

"Naruto!" Tsunade seethed, annoyed by his lack of response. He was dazed and his eyes were glassy as he continued to stare in the direction that the Uchiha were in. The Jinchuriki container made no move of recognition at the yelling leader. This made her twitch in annoyance, but the feelings dispersed as her hazel eyes trailed onto the head of her pink haired apprentice, which was bowed and unusually quiet. Releasing a sigh, she turned to the only sensible one in the room at the moment, who was too busy staring at his two ex-students with a father like look in his lone eye.

"Kakashi?" Tsunade prompted, hoping that he would at least offer some reasonable reaction to this event. He met her eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"Hokage-sama." He replied in a slight mocking tone, one that the said woman detected immediately. She rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest in defiance.

"In his charts it said that his Temporal lobe has been damaged. Actually…the whole top part of his head has been hit pretty hard. At least his hippocampus is still intact…" She murmured mostly to herself. Kakashi brought a fist to his mouth and coughed subtly, which snapped Tsunade from her doctor persona and transition back to Hokage. "Basically, brain damage. We don't know the severity of how much of him has been affected, but it's most likely amnesia, as proposed by Sakura when her patient was first admitted," She explained. "Strangely enough, that does not seem to be the case, for earlier today Sasuke clearly recognized his ex-teammate and called her by her first name."

"We've established that, yes" Kakashi nodded.

"So what I need you to do, seeing as to how you're the only one in a rational state of mind right now is to interrogate Sasuke and see what you can get out of him. He seems to be calm, relaxed, and still a bit sluggish from the medication we have provided. You have experience in the field, so I trust you know what you're doing." She raised her eyebrow, silently asking for agreement.

The silver haired Jounin took a moment to process the information and then nodded.

Gesturing to the ANBU stationed outside of the door, they took a step aside allowing the sharingan wielder to pass through.

The man was not concerned in the slightest. Sure, Sasuke had tried on more than one occasion to kill the whole lot of them, but something about the situation made him feel lax and safe as she strode to the bedside of an immensely dangerous murderer.

He smiled, though he knew that it would hardly be shown from his mask. The young man lying on the bed stared at him with wide eyes, only registering now that he was offering him a kind gesture to which he returned.

"Hello." Kakashi greeted.

"Hi."

His voice was different. It did not hold the evident arrogance and pride it had back then. This one was just a little bit higher, a little bit more innocent. He sounded genuinely confused, but happy to have a visitor. Kakashi stared him down, the only evidence of malice was the way his crossed arms tightened at the response.

"Do you know who I am?" Kakashi asked.

"No." Answered Sasuke truthfully, and he could tell.

"Do you know who you are?"

"…No"

_Interesting_ thought Kakashi as he loosened up and shifted his weight to his other leg.

"Do you know anything about yourself? Your past…or where you have been for the last couple of weeks? The events before that? Or what about what happened to you before you got your head hit so hard –" But before he could continue with the onslaught of questions, he observed the person on the bed squirming nervously.

"I –," Sasuke tried to say something, to form his thoughts into words. He was acting extremely strange and far from himself. "I don't know. I don't know any of those things! I don't…I don't remember…." His voice was verging on hysteria as it finally dawned on him that he honestly could not remember a thing. He tried rifling through his brain, hoping that something; anything about him would pop up, but when he tried all he could draw was a complete blank. He began to struggle, feeling the tightness of the restraints on his wrists and ankles. "Why am I being held captive?" He demanded, his voice raw with fear. "Where am I?!"

Kakashi blanched, for this was not the reaction he was going for. He expected the Uchiha to quickly turn stoic and look away from his past mentor, refusing to give anything up no matter what will be said or done to him. That was who Sasuke is, that's what he would have done. It seems that the dark haired man honestly did not remember a thing.

"Hey hey, calm down." Kakashi lay a hand on his arm, which immediately stopped all of Sasuke's fussing. His muscles tensed under his touch, a response he was used to, seeing as to how ninjas must be aware of the on goings of their body. He noted how he still held the intuition and reaction of his 'normal' self. A dangerous asset if he were to be angered or frustrated.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked in ragged breaths as he stared up at the strange man before him.

"Me…I am of no importance. The only thing we need to find out right now is stuff about you."

"But I don't know who I am!" He growled, unsatisfied with the situation.

"We can if you would just relax." Kakashi's voice was mellow and slow, and his friendly demeanor seemed to be working on the Uchiha. His heartbeat slowed as he breathed in and out, trying not to feel too overwhelmed. "Good." Kakashi praised, his eyes crinkling as he smiled in reassurance. "Now, answer me this: Do you remember anything about yourself at all?"

Sasuke inhaled deeply, and once again tried to think about himself. "I… I am alive." He breathed out, his voice low and calm.

Kakashi raised his eyebrow in interest.

"That's the only thing I know. I remember being surprised that I am alive." He nodded slowly, as if confirming the memory. "I remember the world being out of focus. I was alone in the woods…and I staggered, reaching for a low branch and pulled myself up only to whisper 'I am alive.' And then I walked. I walked and I walked and I walked until—" He gasped, remembering something new once again. He looked up at Kakashi, for this newfound information was clearly vital. His mouth were open, trying to form the words as the Silver haired man simply patted his shoulder in assurance.

"And then I saw her! I saw her, where is she?" He asked, his voice laced with excitement as he began to trash around once again.

"Who did you see?"

"Sakura, Sakura! I saw Sakura!" He exclaimed with a broad grin on his face.

Kakashi was taken aback by his behavior. Never before had the 'old' Sasuke shown any other emotion other than distain and annoyance. This burst of happiness and excitement, to say the least, was quite infectious. The Jounin couldn't help but feel gleeful at the fact that he recalled something from his past.

"Who is Sakura?" Kakashi had asked, playing along.

"I don't really know. All I know is that she is important. And the fact that she is the only thing I can remember about my past must mean that she is," Sasuke reasoned. Kakashi could only grip the bar from Sasuke's hospital bed.

"Right. Well, Sasuke I'll be back another time. See you soon, hopefully!" He faked cheeriness in his voice as he smiled and waved. Sasuke raised his eyebrows and lifted his head to watch him leave.

"Wait!" He called out.

Kakashi turned around.

"You never told me your name!"

With a bittersweet smirk, he could only stare directly into the onyx eyes of his ex-student. "It's Kakashi."

"Kakashi," Sasuke said slowly, committing it to memory. "It was nice meeting you!"

"Right," He managed to say. "It was nice meeting you too, Sasuke."

"Sasuke?" He asked, confusion evident in his voice. "I'm Sasuke?"

But as he said this, Kakashi was out the door and he were alone once again.

Seeing his former teacher emerge out of Sasuke's room, Naruto immediately stood up with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

"Sensei! " He exclaimed, running up to him and meeting him halfway. The two women behind them looked up from their previous positions, curious on the details he has to share. "Sensei, is he alright? Does the bastard remember anything?" Naruto's voice was frantic, for he wanted answers right at that moment. Kakashi heaved a sigh and put his hand on his teammate's shoulder, the tips of his fingers calloused from years of constant injuries and summoning. His fingers were slightly crooked from his ANBU days where he would be tortured for information and they'd heartlessly crack every bone of his body.

"He doesn't remember a thing about himself." Kakashi's voice had grown soft as he explained. As much as he tried to put up a strong front, it hurt him just as much as it pained Naruto and Sakura. He watched the young man grow up, only to delve into the ways of the wicked, betraying them all with his katana in hand. "The only person he recalls," As he spoke, his gaze raised from Naruto's eyes to Sakura's own emerald pair. She tensed as she felt him scrutinizing her, nervous as to what he were going to say. "Is that Sakura is 'important'" he said, reciting Sasuke's own words.

Naruto couldn't lie. He was a bit upset that his bird brained friend forgot all about him, but he was happy that he knew at least something, and even more relieved that the little something is Sakura. Better her than his brother or Orochimaru.

Tsunade brought her index finger to her chin and rubbed it for a while.

"There could be numerous reasons as to why he would remember solely you…" She trailed off as numerous deductions entered her mind.

Sakura didn't want to hear it.

"So now what? " Thankfully Naruto cut in before Tsunade could continue. "What do we do?"

Standing, the Hokage pursed her lips as she strode towards Naruto and Kakashi.

"If he really doesn't remember a thing, then I think the best thing we could do for now is to try to reintroduce him to his life before he left. Get him talking to his old friends, lapse him back to training, and seeing where to go from there. A mandatory trial is to be held by the city council, of course." She grumbled, angry at the fact. As much as she held a dislike for the Elder's and their medieval traditions in punishment, she knew that it was a requirement and it must be faced soon.

"Sakura?" The Hokage turned to her student, who was still sitting down, her face turned to her lap as she clenched her pale fists. She was concerned at her sudden lack in interest. Sakura was obviously avoiding the whole scenario, which is something she had to dismiss soon. "I have plans. Since you are the only one he truly remembers, then maybe you could be the one to hel—"

"No."

Everyone around them, even the curious ANBU, turned to the pink haired girl sitting alone. They were surprised at her outburst. For one, she clearly dismissed the orders of the Godaime. Second, she passed on an opportunity to spend time with the man she once loved so dearly. Didn't she feel the same? You don't simply just throw away a love that you once cherished as much as your own life.

"Excuse me?" Tsunade's voice was dripping with discontent.

"I said no," Sakura stood, and it grew apparent as she lifted her head to look at them all that she'd been crying this whole time. "He isn't Sasuke! That's not him. You can't just try to act like this is all okay, it's not! It won't be until he gets his memory back! That person laying on that bed is only a shell of who he is,and soon enough Sasuke will get his memory back, and he'll go back to the vicious little asshole he were the last time we saw him. You know, that time he tried to kill you, Naruto?" Her tone was filled with malevolence. Her fists were shaking as she breathed in and out, finally letting out her pent up frustration.

"…Sakura?" a small voice quivered behind them all, to which everyone turned to see a confused Sasuke standing with the doors open. The ANBU tensed, surprised that they had failed to notice the fact that he managed to rip himself out of the chakra laced restraints and opened the door right underneath their noses. He were still skilled, they had to give him that.

At that moment he looked desolate. The small frown on his face showed evidence that he had been listening in on their conversation, and to say the least he were honestly hurt that Sakura would call him such things. He stared at her, his heart broken at the very sight of the sole person he remembered and wished to see the most hated him.

Sakura hated him.

Seeing this foreign expression on his face forming some type of emotion other than anger caught her off guard once again. She backed away, feeling terrible that she were the cause of his frown. The way he looked at her, so broken and confused made her feel the same. At the moment, the only thing she could register was the strong urge wishing to run up to him and hug him. To cry and sob, but all the while holding him close and knowing that he is here.

This scared her.

And so she ran.


End file.
